Canucks survive tense series

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Maybe the struggle to reach the Western Conference final for the first time in 17 years means the Vancouver Canucks simply aren't good enough to be the Stanley Cup winners.

Or maybe the fact the NHL's regular-season champions needed six games to dispatch the Nashville Predators -- one series after blowing a 3-0 lead and needing overtime in Game 7 to knock off the Chicago Blackhawks in Round 1 -- is a sign they plan to take the hard road every step of the way.

Only time will write the final chapter on Vancouver's 40th season.

While the Canucks went into the playoffs as the favourites, they have had far more tense moments than expected through their first two rounds.

But before anyone wants to label them as yet another Presidents' Trophy winner who fell short, take into account the two teams that pushed them harder than the Vancouver faithful had anticipated, and the lessons the Canucks pulled from those series victories.

The Blackhawks, the defending Cup champions, obviously were not the same powerful team as last year but still possessed a high-octane attack and used it to mount a comeback after nearly being swept in Round 1. The lesson for the Canucks after they squeaked through was to not let up when they had a chance to close out a series.

The Predators were given too little credit. Sure, they were shy on offensive talent compared with the other elite eight squads, but they were as well-structured, resilient and defensively sound as any team could be.

After ousting the Preds, the Canucks can bask in the knowledge they will have success by staying with the program.

As tempting as it would have been to try opening the floodgates and get into a run-and-gun game, the Canucks -- especially their struggling stars -- remained committed to the approach that wins in the long term.

Yes, a loosey goosey game plan likely would have worked for the Canucks versus Nashville -- plus resulted in some goals by the Sedin twins and more entertainment value -- but they maintained the defensive play needed for long-term success.

They'll reap the benefits against the more offensively talented squads that lie ahead.

That's not to say all is perfect on the West Coast, where hand-wringing and second-guessing the team is as much a part of the Canucks as waving the towels in unison during games.

Through the Nashville series, Daniel and Henrik Sedin managed just one goal each. Henrik's lone tally was into a an empty net, while Daniel's arrived in Game 6.

The only consistent offence came from Ryan Kesler, whose performance at both ends of the ice through the series was one for the ages, with enough sprinkling from Alex Burrows and Chris Higgins.

Whether the Sedins find their offensive touch in the next round is anybody's guess, but they certainly won't face a dominating defensive duo akin to Nashville's Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, nor a goalie to the calibre of the Predators' Pekka Rinne.

To their credit, the Sedins never made excuses for their lack of offence -- Henrik repeatedly said he's not hampered by a leg injury which seems to be the case when watching him skate -- but they must perform better.

Likewise, the pressure will ratchet up on goalie Roberto Luongo, whose performance in the series was ruined by a handful of bizarre goals, including a few from shooters who were beneath the goal line.

Luongo's overall numbers were strong, but he didn't dispel his reputation for surrendering ill-timed, weak goals. The next opponents will have more firepower than the Preds, so Luongo must be more consistent.

The Canucks are no slam-dunk to reach the final, let alone drink champagne from the Stanley Cup, but they've done what they needed to get halfway to that goal.

To now believe they're destined to fall shy based on the effort it took to reach the third round is misguided.

They never were a dominant team akin to the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s or Montreal Canadiens of the late '70s.